


frost nipping at your nose

by hariboo



Category: Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-12
Updated: 2011-12-12
Packaged: 2017-10-30 14:37:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/332835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hariboo/pseuds/hariboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>rei has visitor and it's snowing on christmas, how cliche.</p>
            </blockquote>





	frost nipping at your nose

**Author's Note:**

> [holiday gift meme](http://hariboo-smirks.livejournal.com/286332.html)
> 
> fic for [](http://charliechaplin2.livejournal.com/profile)[**charliechaplin2**](http://charliechaplin2.livejournal.com/). i hope is this okay! rei is the hardest senshi for me to get a grasp on and I feel she'a little to nice here? Lol the ~softer side of rei, but let's imagine is this deep into the future of [this fic](http://hariboo-smirks.livejournal.com/278572.html) wrote except I changed kunzite's name to the one i used in [this fic](http://hariboo-smirks.livejournal.com/285284.html), which is only in passing he appears. but ~background info~ and all.

 

As the snow settles in the ground, Rei sighs. It's beautiful enough but right she's seeing how it clumps and folds like cold sheets over the temple steps, grounds, and the roof. Suddenly, fiercely, and maybe a little selfishly she misses Yuichiro and the knowledge that with one smile or yell from her he would be here in the courtyard sweeping up the snow as she directs him. It's an unbidden and instinctual thought, but her grip on her broom tightens. She knows it wasn't maliciously thought, but thinking that she would use her friend for her own comfort settles uncomfortably in her stomach and now she's determined to sweep every inch of snow from the ground and steps herself.

In the end it's not a hard job, and she did it for years when she was younger before Yuichiro moved in. And even then it's not like she stopped cleaning and caring for the temple. It's only the snow is so cold and the wind today is biting and quick.

Sipping her gloves on, she tightens the scarf around her neck before grabbing the broom and heading out she lets herself miss Yuichiro for a second. Maybe it's because of the snow, softly covering everything, and the sound of the chimes, but the temple seems quieter with her friend gone. There's no music drifting through the back rooms anymore. Just her and her grandfather one again and her grandfather is getting too old to sweep in such weather. He tries to hide it from Rei, but she sees how he rubs at his joints and layers far more than used to.

With one last look to her grandfather's room where she knows he's sipping tea and meditating, Rei wraps the ends of her scarf around her neck once more and tucks into the neck of her haori.

Rei twists the handle of the broom in her hand and nods to herself. Humming, she goes out to take care of her home.

She's just near finishing with the courtyard when she hears the whistling. The snow is now lightly falling, as it has started to for the last few minutes and she would be annoyed at it messing with her handwork but the flakes are so tiny and soft she only blows them away from her face. Looking to the steps where the whistling is getting louder over the sound of the wind in the trees she sees a blonde hair covered in white dust appear.

Like his hair, the shoulders of his grey coat has a healthy covering of snow that he's clearly too lazy to swipe off. Or too cold, she notes, noticing his hands tucked deep in his pockets. His blue scarf doesn't highlight his eyes but makes his cheeks seem redder in the cold.

Pausing her sweeping, Rei stops her appraisal of him. It would only encourage his ego further.

His forced smile as he gets closer springs a genuine one to her lips.

"What are you doing here, Justin?"

He shrugs. Some of the snow from his shoulder gets dislodged.

"Can't even visit without a third degree," he says. Grins. "Merry Christmas, Rei."

She rolls her eyes, but decides that the flakes on his shoulders are irritating enough and reaches out to dust them off. His bends towards her slightly as he does, waggling his brows. She smacks him hard on the collarbone.

"I'm not Christian, Justin, you know that right? I mean, look at where you are."

He laughs. "Well, that still doesn't mean you can't spend the day with loved ones."

"Really?" Arching her eyebrow, she really tries not to soften at his words. It's hard, but she manages.

From the way his fingers reach out to fix her scarf and how his eyes go gentle and smokey she gathers she didn't succeed as much as she thought. But she notices how his fingers are bare and quickly grabs them in her own gloved ones.

"You're not wearing gloves, you idiot! No wonder it looked like you were trying to bury your hands in your coat."

Oh, she definitely didn't succeed.

Justin tugs them from her grip. "I come from Chicago, Rei. Trust me when I say I've forgotten my gloves in cold weather before."

She narrows her eyes, not even caring about his excuses, already tugging her gloves off with her teeth, tucking them into the folds of her hoari, and pulling his hands back between hers. The broom rests against her shoulder in the cage of her arms.

"You walked here too, didn't you?"

"I like to walk." His tone light.

She shakes her head, mumbles. "You're as bad as Minako. 'But the snow's so pretty, Rei-chan!' Look who's at home with a cold now."

Justin steps forward, closer to her. His boots bump the broom. "I know. She's taken up residence on our couch since her parents—"

"Are neglectful idiots."

"I'm pretty sure the word she used was travelling."

Rei _hrmphs_. She knows all too well the half truths Minako and her other friends use to protect themselves. Suddenly she wonders about the others are now. Ami, she knows is with her mother, the outers are travelling the world still, and Usagi with her family, but—

"Is Mako—" She looks up from where she's been rubbing at Justin's hands between her own. Flakes are falling and melting as they touch his cheeks. His eyes still that smokey blue.

"She and Khalid are making her lemon squares as we speak."

Rei feels her lips stretch out into a soft smile.

"Minako got him a Kiss The Cook apron in purple and yellow. I told Zeke to take pictures when I left."

Rei chuckles, tilts her head. "And why did you come all this way in the snow when you have dinner and show back there?"

Justin steps closer and slips one hand from between hers. His fingers tangle with her hair at the nape of her neck and his nose brushes her. She can feel his breath warm against her lips.

"Maybe I just like seeing you in the snow."

"That's so corny," she laughs even as her lips cover his own laugh. Her fingers worm their way into the folds of his coat and she can feel his hands cradling her skull. For second she feels as if all the warmth between their bodies is transferring outside them with the kiss and melting any snowflakes that try to touch them. The broom is trapped between their bodies, the wood uncomfortable against her ribs and chest. His too, she imagines.

His lips trail her cheeks even as her eyes remain closed and press a kiss to her temple. She grabs hold of the broom and thumbs his chin with her other hand.

"Come on, there's tea inside," she smiles. "Gramps will like that you stopped by."

"He's my real reason to, you know." He wraps an arm around her waist.

She shoves at his shoulder and rolls her eyes even as she can feel his smile by her hair. "So what was it you were whistling anyway?"

"Just an old Christmas song," is all he says.  



End file.
